“Every Designated Area Must Comply with SHA Standards”
During the recent COVID-19 pandemic situation, DASTA is working on improving communities to meet SHA standards and sanitation measures as well as helping the communities to increase their potential to welcome both Thai and foreign tourists once the country has re-opened.
Although tourism has been hit hard by the pandemic and many communities has seen their incomes decrease, these factors do not impact or change local ways of life in areas under the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization) or DASTA. The organization has reiterated to the communities that the incomes from tourism are extra earnings on top of the incomes from their occupations.
Group Captain Athikun Kongmee, director of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (Public Organization) or DASTA, has said that the spread of Coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 has tremendously impacted the tourism industry. The communities and tourism entrepreneurs in the designated areas and tourism development districts (clusters) under DASTA are losing their incomes as the foreign tourists are not allowed to enter the country and that the businesses and communities have to restrict the number of tourists for their own safety.
Group Captain Athikun Kongmee
For the designated areas where DASTA has helped develop, the ways local people live have not been considerably affected by the pandemic. Despite a decline in incomes from tourism, the local people still have earnings from their main occupations which are agriculture, animal farming, and fishing. This is what DASTA has been focusing on when helping each community and the organization has been ensuring that the incomes from tourism are what the local people earn on top of their main jobs.
The director has also mentioned “During this time where our tourism industry is closed, DASTA has offered assistance to the communities to develop and increase their potential so that they will be ready to welcome the tourists once the situation returns to normal.”
Photo : thailandsha.tourismthailand.org
In this past year, DASTA has helped improved and educated the communities about sanitation and marketing capabilities. In regard to sanitation, DASTA has encouraged the communities to practice hygiene safety and follow sanitation measures in order to comply with SHA (Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration) standards under the Tourism Authority of Thailand. SHA represents the hygiene safety standards which are the result of cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Ministry of Public Health. SHA is established in order to build trust and confidence to the tourists and customers that they will receive good and safe experiences from the communities’ products and services.
With the spread of COVID-19 and concerns about safety and hygiene, the tourists and customers are choosing to purchase products and use services from businesses with the highest standards in sanitation. Hence, it is very essential that DASTA must develop the communities and tourist attractions under its responsibility to be highly sanitized and certified with SHA standards.
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